Wedding Bells Are Ringing
by mg78
Summary: On June 24, 2011, New York legalized gay marriage, Blair and Jo were there to witness the historic event. Now they plan to have a wedding and reflect back on the day they became a couple. One other pairing as well. Part of my LJ FoL fiction challenge.
1. Let Them Ring

**Title**: Wedding Bells are Ringing  
><strong>Author<strong>: mandygirl78/slave2free  
><strong>Fandom<strong>: Facts of Life  
><strong>Pairing<strong>: Jo/Blair and another couple... (It ain't Nat/Tootie!)**  
>Rating<strong>: R  
><strong>Summary<strong>: Just before midnight, on June 24, 2011, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill legalizing gay marriage, making it the most populated state in the US to accept it. Blair and Jo were there to witness the historic event.

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><p>Hi everyone. I posted a challenge last month at Live Journal's Facts of Life Femslash page. For those who are not familiar, there were two versions of the challenge: the hard version and the easy version. The hard version goes like this:<p>

1) Blair and Jo's reaction to the new law  
>2) Their wedding day<br>3) Natalie being into the latest fad.  
>4) Somebody from Diff'rent Strokes (could be more than one) in the wedding.<br>5) Flashback to 1985-86  
>a) Natalie being into the latest fad<br>b) Build up to their first kiss  
>c) Tootie singing (or lips-synching) Whitney Houston's "You Give Good Love to Me".<br>optional) Something that seems old now was new back then. Like a CD player, Stereo TV, Cable.

The easy version goes like this:

1) Blair and Jo's reaction to the law  
>2) Their wedding day<br>3) Flashback to 1985-86  
>a)Build up to their first kiss<p>

Since this is my challenge, I'm going to do the harder one. If you are interested in the challenge, please join in. The more the merrier!

* * *

><p>It was close to midnight on June 24, 2011 inside the Senate Chamber at the Capitol Building in Albany, New York. There were hundreds of people anticipating to hear the historic final decision coming from the state Senate, and thousands more outside near the front of the building. The general atmosphere was tense, as tensions and anticipations ran deep within the two groups: those who were for the bill and those who were against it. It would be a life-changing event for many involved, and the outcome would change the state and potentially the entire nation for years to come.<p>

Inside the building as part of the forestalling audience were two woman who were on different ends of the spectrum on virtually everything, but they did agreed on at least two things, that they loved each other madly, and that the bill must pass.

"I hope all that work that we put into it finally paid off unlike two years ago," Jo said to her soul mate of over twenty-five years.

"I hope so too. I had to bend over backwards just to convince some of the Senators to get on board," replied Blair, a proud member of the Log Cabin Republicans (a group of gay, lesbian, bi, and transgendered Republicans).

"Well I'm glad you are doing it. I don't think I could convince a Republican Senator on anything."

Blair smiled, "Trust me dear, Republicans are not as narrow-minded and as stubborn as you make them out to be. You're with me, aren't you?"

"Yes I am, and my heart wouldn't want to be with anyone else but you, despite of our differences." Then she got closer to Blair and tenderly stroked Blair's left cheek, "And also despite that one particular similarity we share."

Blair just smiled, "Well what we share is very precious and special, and no stupid law or opinion will change that."

Jo responded with a firm yet caressing hug as she rested her head on Blair's right shoulder. "Yeah, no stupid law will change that."

At that moment, Jo got a text message on her phone. She pulled it out of her pocket and read it.

"Hey Jo, I got word from confidential sources that Michael Grisanti and Stephen Saland will vote for it, so there will be enough to get it passed."

Jo then got Blair's attention, "Hey Blair, Nat said that the bill will pass."

"Really? I hope she's right?"

"You know her skills as a reporter; she's usually right when comes to things like this."

Then Jo received another text message. It stated, "My iPad2 rocks girl! It really kicks the iPad1's ass, and the Galaxy Tab isn't even in its league!"

Jo just shook her head in disbelief over Nat's obsessions with fads. It was that same obsession that got them selling inflatable palm trees and plastic fishes with pens in them when they opened the store Over Our Heads.

"What else did she say?" Blair asked, knowing how many times Natalie texted Jo on a given day since she had the iPad2, enough to make a newsletter.

"Oh she's braggin' 'bout her new iPad2, as usual, sayin' how it's much bettah than the original iPad."

Blair has a puzzled look on her face, not fully understanding the different between the two. "So what makes the iPad2 more special than the iPad? They're basically the same to me."

"I dunno Blair. I agree with you, but she's makin' a big deal about it! You know Natalie longer than I have; she always has to get the latest junk that's out there. If you ask me 'what's the difference', then I'll tell ya the difference is 200 bucks!" Blair chuckled at Jo's small wisecrack. "And another thing is that ever since she got that thing, she's been textin' me nonstop! She might as well be her own news ticket or Twittah!"

Blair laughed at that one, "Well it looks like she's keeping you busy, I can't seem to get you off of your phone ever since she's got that thing. You're beginning to spend more time on the phone then with me," she said with a fake pout.

"Blair…" she sighed with her eyes rolling.

Finally the speaker came up to the podium.

"Joey, they're going to announce it right now!" Blair chirped. Jo turned her focus to the podium and looked as the secretary of the Senate addressed the audience with the final outcome.

"… Those who recorded the negative are senators Ball, Bonacic, DeFrancisco, Diaz, Farley, Flannigan…"

Jo muttered in anger, "That mother-fucker Diaz."

"Jo," Blair replied with a touch of disappointment on her lips.

"But I'm upset with him. I used to help him and his church out a lot when my patrol was stationed in his district. I feel like he just hawked and spitted on my face!"

"I understand, but honey there's not need to get upset about it. He was against it from the get-go."

And Blair was right. A few seconds later the secretary announced the total.

"Ayes: 33, Nays: 29"

Blair and Jo were totally stunned at what they just heard. Did they hear it correctly? 33 to 29? It was only two years ago that the bill was figuratively slaughtered. Now the everlasting dream of getting married became a reality.

They didn't say anything for a second or two, as the shock was still in effect, then suddenly they screamed and jumped for joy. Then they hugged each other like never before, not even the early days when their attraction for each other was new. Tears were flowing from the couple's eyes like the iconic New York natural beauty Niagara Falls and both were overwhelmed with the sudden explosion of happiness this has brought unto them.

"Oh my God, we finally get to put hyphens in our last names!" Blair joshed.

"Yeah I love to call myself Joanna Polniaczek-Warner, and that birthday/engagement party you had for me was not in vain."

"Natalie was right! I should give her a gold bracelet for it!" Blair said ecstatically.

"I know Natalie won't object to that!"

They had been engaged since 2005 (see the FoL fanfic: Joanna (I Love You)) and now they could finally and legally say that they were a couple. Their plan was to add the last names of their partners to their existing one, so Blair Warner will become Blair Warner-Polniaczek and vice versa.

Still rejuvenated by the wonderful news, the couple finally locked lips and kissed to show their love for each other. After they finished their kissing, a couple came up to Blair, "Oh my God, this is like so amazing! I can't believe this is going to happen, all thanks to you." The woman speaking was a friend of Blair and also a fellow Log Cabin Member.

Blair smiled then chuckled, "Well, if you know who you know, anything can happen!"

"All because of that speech you gave at the conference in the Poconos two weeks ago."

Two weeks ago, Blair gave a stunning speech to the Republican senators about gay marriage and how it was part of a Christian virtue of equality. She used references of Ruth and Naomi as examples where the Bible encouraged same-sex relationships. But the biggest one was that she made it clear that the Republican Party was about government out of people's lives, and that it was not in their place to say who should and who shouldn't be married. She emphasized that it was not a government nor a state issue, but a church issue. Apparently it worked with at least four of the Senators, they voted for it.

"We should give those two a call back to New York!" Blair exclaimed.

"We should. I wonder how people are reacting in Greenwich Village." as Jo reached into her slacks pocket to get the phone. But as soon as she was about to call, she got a text message.

"OMG! I can't beleive the day has finally come! I'm so xcited! We can finally get married!" One of Jo's friends texted. She was so excited; she didn't bother to correct her spellings.

While still talking to Blair, Jo texted back, "I know. Me n' Blair are crying over dis! So how are things over there?"

"A blast! The people r going crazy over here. Lady Gaga music is playing and the people are dancing, but hey, it's Stonewall Inn 4 crying out loud!"

The woman was texting from Stonewall Inn, the same place where back in 1969, a confrontation between the police and the patrons of the bar started and thus began the Gay rights movement.

"Well we'll be there tomorrow. Tell everyone thanks for their support."

"Will do!"

Jo then faced Blair. "There's no need, she texted me back. " She showed the text messages to Blair. Blair took the phone from Jo's hands and read it. When she tried to scroll down, she accidentally pressed the wrong button and instead music came out of it. It was the sentimental 80s ballad, "Hold Me", by Whitney Houston and the Teddy Pendergrass. It was loud enough that people near their surrounding heard it and started giggling. Jo quickly took the phone from her and turned it off.

Red as a cherry from the embarrassment, Jo gave a bashful apology, "Sorry about that." Blair was just as embarrassed but she didn't say anything.

"Isn't it too soon for something like that?" one stranger joked.

"That was an accident, sorry." Blair replied. However that song gave her a 'brilliant idea.'"

"Hey, this should be our wedding song. Remember you played that song on our special night?"

Now Jo was red for a much different reason. "Of course I do, that's when we truly became intimate."

"I can't think of a better song for our wedding dance, because I do want you to hold me – tight."

A mischievous smile formed on Jo's face, "Why not right now?" Jo said as she quickly grabbed her and wrapped her arms around the love of her life. Jo was firm yet still soft to hold. Blair always loved that about her, she was tough on the outside, but tender on the inside. Blair instinctively laid her head softly on Jo's neck and shoulder and wrapped her arms around her soulmate's waist.

Blair then started speaking from her heart, "Our love must be very special, because we're almost totally different, yet somehow we can't live without each other's love."

"That's because we complement each other." Jo said. "We look out for each other and we know that we will always be there for each other." Blair just nodded her head in agreement.

As the celebration was still going on, they continued to embrace each other, savoring the wonderful moment they were sharing.

* * *

><p>Back in Greenwich Village at the Stonewall Inn, a short, natural wheat-blond girl in her early-40s with light brown eyes finished her texting and ordered another drink in celebration. She was wearing just a T-shirt with a pair of jeans.<p>

"Hey bartender, give me another Red Bull and Vodka!"

"No problem honey child!" he replied.

Her partner came out of the bathroom. She too was a blond, but her hair was more like sunshine blond and she was a few inches taller as well. "So did it pass?" she said with a Midwestern accent.

"With flying colors honey! It was 33-29!"

"Great!" She responded with a kiss to her lover's lips. "This is one of the happiest days in my life." Now she started to cry, and it made her soul mate cry as well. Their blissful embrace added more to the joy that was in the air as there were other couples rejoicing on the good news.

Finally after their hug, the first woman said, "But honey, an even happier day will come later on this year, thanks to those wonderful 33 senators."

The other woman smiled, understanding what she really meant. "And who said all politicians are idiots?"

The coupled laughed, but then the latter got serious again. "I'm glad to be living here in New York, where at least there's an opportunity for something like this to happen. I can't say the same back in Kansas."

It also made her devoted partner sad as well. "Don't let it get to you, sugar. Eventually things will change. Your parents and relatives weren't accepting of me when they first heard about us right?"

"Right," she said while holding her head down. "And some are still not."

"That's because they're with that Westboro Baptist Church wacko, Fred Phelps. However, the rest of them now consider me a part of their family. One day, Kansas will finally see us as equals and one day other people will also be able to marry whoever they see fit over there." The other woman smiled.

"I can't wait to see that day."

"I can't either, but for right now let's talk about our day, we need to make a date to say 'I do'."

"I say we need at least six months to prepare for the wedding. I can get the invitations ready and you can work on finding the location."

"That's not a problem. I already know a place, thanks to Blair. I can call and find a spot for six months from now," the shorter girl informed her.

The other women had a huge smile when she heard that, "Oh that's so awesome! I can't wait for that day to come."

"Yeah, we can finally call ourselves Mrs. and Mrs. Cindy and Sue Ann Weavster." They ended with a smooch.


	2. To Equality!

Wedding Bells Are Ringing - Chapter 2

**Warning: This story has NOT been beta-read yet.**

* * *

><p>"So when are Molly, Tootie and Natalie coming?" Sue Ann asked.<p>

"Soon. They told me they were held up in traffic."

"I hope so. I want them to get here before the party ends."

"Trust me, we're dealing with queers here, the party isn't going to end anytime soon," Cindy joked.

"That's _so_ true," Sue Ann laughed back.

A few seconds later, Cindy got a tap on her shoulder and she turned around, "Molly! You gals are here."

"It's women," she corrected Cindy. She just looked at her with a serious look.

"Molly..."

"Oh ok, how are you doing?" she hugged Cindy. "Congratulations! Finally you two can get married!"

"Yeah, now you two can be miserable like the rest of us!" Natalie kidded.

"Already been for the past thirty years," Cindy joked back. Sue Ann playfully slapped her on the shoulders.

"Cindy!"

Cindy just smiled and hugged her, "But I wouldn't trade those years for anything in the world."

Molly smiled, seeing the couple as lovingly happy as they were in the past.

"I know, it's been over thirty years since we've confessed our love. I thought that this day will never come in my life." Cindy said with a smile. Sue Ann grinned as much as she told Molly, "But you've been a big help as well, helping bridge the gap between the lesbians and the straight feminist groups."

Molly Parker, a coordinator who works for the National Organization for Women (NOW), helped gather various feminist groups to work together to get the bill passed. She smiled as she was very thankful for Sue Ann's compliment.

"It's wasn't just me. It was Tootie, who help promote same-sex couples and marriage on her show. It was also Natalie, who wrote opinion pieces and wrote heart-warming stories of gay and lesbian couples in the New York Times. It was all of us. It's amazing at what we can do when we can work together, and today is a perfect example what womanhood and unity could achieve."

"Amen sister, preach on!" Natalie responded in a joking mood. Molly however didn't take it as a joke and she gave a cold glare to Natalie. Natalie defended her response, "Oh come on Molly, I'm just playing with you. Of course I agree with you, but tonight let's celebrate this wonderful moment. Let's cherish our accomplishment!"

"So I heard that there is going to be a performance tonight?" Natalie asked Cindy.

"Yeah, there are going to be some drag kings and drag queens doing some lip-synching on the stage."

"Really?" Tootie said. "That must be interesting. Maybe some of them can appear on my show."

The girls laughed and Sue Ann said, "That's the last thing you need on your show, more homos!"

"Yeah, the critics are already saying that your show is 'more gay than a Lady Gaga concert'!"

"Well that's their problem. I want to show the human side of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgenders, instead of the one-sided circus performances you see on TV. By the way, Lady Gaga agreed to appear on my show for next week, I hope you're watching!"

"Really!" said an excited Cindy, "You know I'm gonna record that!" Then she told Tootie, "But really Tootie, this is nothing new, they do this all the time in gay bars. Since today is about the marriage, you might see a wedding theme going on."

About seven minutes later, the host came up to the stage. He was a clearly a man in drag trying to look like Katy Perry. "I know everybody excited about the good news today!" Everybody in the room yelled with excitement. "And to think that all this would not have been possible if it weren't for the brave few who took a stand on that night in June 27, 1969. Some of them are here with us tonight, let's give them a toast of appreciation for making this day possible. Cheers!"

Then everybody said "Cheers."

"Now let's get the show started. From Yonkers, New York comes a male-and-female duo that will sizzle you with their performance. Please give a hand for Shelley and Tommy!" From the curtains came a woman dressed in a wedding tux and a man dressed in a wedding dress. The music started with the familiar wedding song, and then it quickly switched to Bruno Mars' "Marry You", with the drag king lip-syncing to the drag queen. The girls were enjoying the performance.

"This is so funny!" Tootie laughed.

"I know!" Natalie replied as she was dancing with a man wearing a wedding dress.

About thirty minutes later, the girls left the bar and went outside. It was just as crazy outside as it was in the bar, as the lively party atmosphere were going on. There were men dressed in wedding outfits, and women with tuxedos. There was singing, dancing, and even a group of men throwing flame sticks at each other. The atmosphere was more like a circus!

The girls were soaking up the jubilation surrounded them as they were dancing and singing their way to the nearest diner. When they got there and got seated, Sue Ann brought up Jo and Blair.

"I wish they were here to witness all of this."

"I'm sure there's something going on in Albany. Knowing Blair, she probably created her own party down there." Natalie responded while tweeting on her iPad2.

Molly then looked at her with some embarrassment and said, "Are you surgically attached to that thing?"

"I tried that but I found out that I had to pay Steve Jobs for licensing fee if I did that." Natalie jibed.

The girls laughed and then Molly asked Natalie, "How did you know that Jo and Blair was a couple."

Natalie smiled, "I had my suspicions since 1983, but I was very sure about it sometime around 1985, a few months before we opened Over Our Heads when the two went to the old drive-in. Jo didn't know that Blair wanted her for a long time, until I gave her a hint. When did you find out?" She asked Molly.

Molly instantly remembers, "I probably knew before they probably knew themselves, or at least before they finally admitted it! I remember one particular argument they had in their bedroom when I came over to study with Tootie for the Chemistry mid-terms. It had to do about that Harrison guy that Jo was dating. I saw the interaction between Blair and Jo and I noticed Blair's body signals. Her body language didn't give off just an angry woman, but a jealous, angry woman. Her body wasn't just showing signs of anger, but of hurt, like when somebody breaks your heart. It was like her body was saying, _"Why do you love him instead of me?"_ There was also something like that from Jo, where she tells Blair that she loves him but her body was saying otherwise, like an act. Also, I couldn't ignore how passionate the argument was, like it was some sort of foreplay." Then she added, "By the way Natalie, it was me who told Jo first."

"Yeah, I remember…" Natalie muttered bitterly. She remembered very well that Molly beat her to the punch. Molly just smiled.

"Yeah, I think that's their way of making out," Cindy said. "Me and Sue Ann do argue, but not like the way they do."

"Actually I got a confession to make women," Molly said.

"What is it?" Tootie asked.

"I was able to figure out Jo and Blair's arguments based on the argument that Cindy and Sue Ann had during the time they were competing each other for the race. Truth is, Cindy and Sue Ann do have their passionate fights, but they're not as common. However, when they do have them, they're more explosive."

Cindy and Sue Ann's faces went pale when they heard Molly's revelation. They just looked at each other in a bit of shame. In all their years together, they never knew that part of their relationship. Molly had exposed them to a blind spot of their relationship. Everybody went silent for a bit. Wanting to get rid of the tension surrounding the table, Natalie quickly asked Cindy, "How did you know about Jo and Blair, Cindy?"

"Jo told us. Since the both of us were one the biggest dykes in Eastland, she and Blair told us, but I knew long before thanks to my gaydar. I have to turn my gaydar off every time I'm near them for fear of explosion." The girls laughed.

"Blair was hesitant to admit it, since she didn't want to look like a hypocrite in front of Cindy, but she told her that all was forgiven and then she finally admitted it on her end." Sue Ann recalled.

"I can't lie though, I enjoyed watching that prig admit it." Cindy smirked.

"So did I." Sue Ann responded with a smile.

Molly then asked Tootie, who remained silent the whole time, "When did you find out Tootie?"

"I didn't find out until the day we went to our first karaoke. Remember that girls?" The group laughed as it brought memories of that night. "Boy did we make a scene at that place! I remember while I was singing Whitney Houston's 'You Give Good Love' that Blair and Jo started dancing along with Cindy and Sue Ann. I was so shocked; I stumbled on part of the words." The girls were laughing at Tootie's revelation as she continued. "When I was living in DC, Blair and Jo came to my house holding each other's hands. My father was there and he told them a few words that weren't cool, and then they angrily left. I had to ask them for forgiveness over the situation. My dad told me I shouldn't be hanging around with people like them."

"People like them…" Cindy muttered with a bitter tone. Sue Ann squeezed her partner slightly around her waist with her right arm, calming her down a bit. Then Cindy laid her head on Sue Ann's right shoulder.

Molly then continued, "So is your father okay about their relationship now? It's been like nearly 20 years."

"No, I don't think so. He was the lawyer who worked with the African-American and Latino Churches in order to block the Marriage bill in DC. It failed and he's still bitter over it."

Molly sighed, "Intolerance. I especially don't like it when one minority does it to another, but that's just how the old generation feels about it. It doesn't matter, because they're on their way out."

Finally, the food came with their drinks. With a glass of water in her hand, Molly made a toast.

"This is to a new era in equality. We finally achieved here in New York what 44 other states have yet achieved. We still got some ways to go before this country achieves full equality, like they do up in Canada. But for now I say 'to equality'."

Everyone in the tabled responded "To equality!" as they toast to their accomplishment.

The next day, a few of Jo's friends were at her home near Central Park. There was Sue Ann, Cindy, Natalie, Jo and Willis Jackson, Mr. Drummond's adopted son. They just finished watching the Yankees defeat the Rockies in one of the interleague games.

"Thank God A. Rod and C.C. Sabathian is on the team." Jo said.

"That's because the Yankees buy their championships," Sue Ann responded.

Jo just smiled and responded, "A little jealous Sue Ann that your team, the Royals, is always in the cellar and always used that worn-out excuse for their inability to field a competing team."

Sue Ann looked at her and gave her the finger. "We wouldn't be in the cellar if we had the money and the market that the Yanks had. It's not an excuse, it's the truth! Everybody knows the Yankees has a monopoly in the league."

Sensing a fight was about to brew, Natalie changed the focus of the conversation. "Who cares, what's really important was how hot and sexy A. Rod looked when he was fielding the ball in the 7th. God, he's such a cutie even without the steroids!"

Everyone else looked at her like she was crazy. Willis responded, "If you haven't figured it out Natalie, you're the only one who likes guys in here."

Natalie looked around her and said, "You're right. I wish Tootie was here, she would agree with me."

"Yeah, but she went with Blair, Bailey, and Kimberly to go shopping down at Madison." Jo stated. "Blair's doing her sabbatical shopping again."

"What is she buying?" Sue Ann.

"Quite a few things for the wedding, she wants it to be top notch. You know Blair."

Willis snickered as he looked at Cindy and Sue Ann, "Yeah I know her. How come you two aren't with Blair for your wedding stuff?"

"I guess you've never been shopping with Blair before, have you?" Sue Ann said with a serious look at Willis. "She can drive you nuts with her indecisiveness and her quick whims of decisions."

"Oh I see."

"Besides, we already had it planned since two years ago. So all we need really is the ring and a few other things. It will be a wonderful Weavster wedding!"

Then Willis started to laughed, "Weavster… hahaha!"

Jo and Natalie started to laugh as well. Only Cindy and Sue Ann weren't laughing.

"Hey, what's so funny? It's the new trend that's out there!" Cindy said. "I mean, you got Brangelina, Britanna, etc… Heck, our website is named like that."

"What?" Natalie said. "Are you for real?"

"Yeah, . Sue Ann made it a few years back. We haven't updated it for a while since we mostly use Facebook."

"Is your Facebook page named 'Cinann-forever'?" Jo asked.

"Of course." Sue Ann responded.

"Cinann, what kind of name is that." Jo said while trying not to laugh.

"I think they mean 'cinnamon'!" Willis joked. Everyone else was laughing besides the couple.

"It's not cinnamon, it's CinAnn! It's the combination of Cindy and Sue Ann. Come on Jo and Willis, it's the latest thing." Cindy said.

"Yeah Jo, get with the times!" Natalie added while trying to stifle her snicker.

Jo looked at Natalie dismissively and said, "I'll just stick with Jo and Blair thank you, and we're going to use hyphens in our last names, so hopefully I'll be Joanna Polniaczek-Warner in the next six months."

Willis then asked, "So tell me then, when are you two going to have the wedding?"

"Blair is the one who knows more about it, but I do know it will be at least six months from now. We will be holding it at St. Thomas Church. Isn't that where you two will be having it as well Sue Ann?"

"Actually no, we're going to have it at Spring of Life Methodist Church in Peekskill. Blair was able to get us a great discount over there."

"Really?" Willis said.

"Why not? It was at Peekskill that we fell in love, right?" she blushed at Cindy.

"Right honey," Cindy responded with a kiss on her lips.

Willis smiled, "I'm glad to see you three finally get the right that me and Sharon already have."

"Ya know, it seemed like it was yesterday since we became a couple. If you asked me back in 1985 that we will be able to get married, I would have laugh at ya! It all began a little more than twenty-five years ago…" Jo said.


	3. Flashback to 1985

Wedding Bells Are Ringing - Chapter 3

(Flashback to 1985)

Molly smiled to herself as she watched Jo placed her right ankle on her left knee and stretched her right arm along the back of the booth where she and Blair were sitting. The drive-in movie was packed with both Eastland and Langley students that night since it was going to be demolished the following day. 'They are so cute together', thought Molly as she noticed Blair subconsciously lean to her right so that her shoulder nestled into the crook of Jo's arm.

Molly's revelry, however, was disrupted by the obnoxious couple in the booth next to hers. They were making sarcastic jokes about Jo and Blair, infuriating Molly. The seriously-minded redhead stood up and confronted the rude couple.

"Don't you have anything better to do than to spew your hatred and ignorance?"

The boy in the booth stood up and towered menacingly over the petite girl.

"What are you going to do about it, Red?"

Molly, who took everything literally, considered her options.

"I'm going to become a political activist and work to make this world a better place for my friends. What are you going to do with your life, Jughead?"

The boy clinched his fists at his side and scowled at Molly, who took a step backward. Molly was afraid that she may have gone too far by calling the boy a jughead.

"Jughead huh? Who do you think you are? Archie Andrews? Well, you might be redheaded just like him, but when I get done with you, you will also be red-faced as well! Right, Honey?"

"That's right, Sugar, and I'll shut your mouth as well, you little turnip!"

Just as he was about to approach Molly, he took a step back. Molly felt a protective hand on her shoulder.

"Is this twerp giving you a hard time, Molly?" Molly turned and smiled into the bright green eyes of Jo Polniaczek, before glaring back at the boy who had been taunting her.

The girlfriend was puzzled why her boyfriend backed away. "What are you doing running away from a chick?"

"That's no ordinary chick, that's Jo Polniaczek, the one who kicked Freddie's ass a few months ago when he called her a carpet munching, diesel-dyke!"

"That's right, and if you get anywhere near my friend, or insult me, or her in any way possible, you will end up just like your friend." She scowled as she cracked her right knuckles. Then she asked, "Say, is he starting to eat regular foods again?"

"Let's get the fuck out of here." The boy grunted his dissatisfaction, but he wasn't about to tangle with Jo, so he and his girlfriend left the refreshment bar.

Molly sighed in relief and smiled, "Thanks, Jo."

"Hey, anytime. What was that about, anyway?"

Molly, who assumed that Jo knew that she was gay, answered honestly, "They were making fun of you and Blair . . . as a couple. I got angry and made them stop. It's none of their business who you love."

Jo blushed and stammered.

"B . . . B . . . Blair . . . and me?"

"You don't have to pretend with me, Jo. I know that you and Blair are in love with each other."

"B . . . B . . . Blair . . . and me?"

Molly frowned, wondering why Jo kept repeating herself.

"Why are you so surprised that I figured it out? You were practically hugging each other in the booth over there."

Before Jo could question Molly further, Blair ran up to her roommate and grabbed Jo's arm.

"Come on, Jo! They've fixed the projector, and we'll miss part of the movie if we don't hurry. You know I can't keep up with what's happening if I miss more than a couple of minutes."

Jo allowed herself to be pulled along by Blair, but continued to mutter to herself.

"Blair and me? Blair and me? Blair . . . and me!"

On the other end, Molly was stunned that Jo never knew about it. "Oh my, what did I just do?"

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Later that night, after the police retrieved Mrs. Garrett's stolen car and Natalie, Tootie, Jo, and Blair were in the bedroom they shared over Edna's Edibles, Jo continued to reflect on her conversation with Molly. She looked over at Blair, who was filing her nails, and frowned.

'_Nah, it's impossible'_, reasoned Jo. Moments later, Blair noticed that Jo was staring at her and she smiled over at her roommate, twirling her hair and giggling.

Recognizing the flirtatious gesture, Jo smacked herself in the forehead. Natalie, who was going through her Garbage Pail collection, started laughing. Jo grabbed her younger roommate by the arm and dragged her from the room.

"Why ya laughin'?"

"Why did you smack yourself in the forehead?" Natalie asked, finding it rather amusing.

"None of your business."

Natalie figured it out. "Jo, it's so obvious. You saw the way Blair was flirting with you, and you finally got a clue."

"You knew, too?"

Natalie, who prided herself on being the first to know everything, lifted her eyebrows questioningly.

"Who else knows?"

"Well, Molly said something at the drive-in tonight that got me to thinking about it."

"Damn that girl! I should have known, her body language skills are totally awesome."

"So, you think she's right? You think that Blair and me . . . that we're . . .?"

Natalie shrugged and returned to her bedroom, leaving Jo to figure things out on her own. Natalie almost knocked Blair down as she entered their room.

"Where's Jo? What were you two talking about?"

Natalie started to respond with a funny quip about Blair being nosey, but she took pity on the couple.

"Why don't you go down to the lounge and ask Jo? I think she wants to talk to you about something."

Blair immediately left the room and sought out her best friend. She found Jo sitting on the sofa in Mrs. Garrett's lounge. Jo was deep in thought, so Blair tried to be as quiet as possible when she sat down beside the reflective brunette.

"Is there something wrong, Jo? Are you mad at me again?"

Jo tilted her head and gazed into sincere brown eyes.

"Why would I be angry with you?"

"I don't know. You get angry with me all the time. I never know why."

Jo pursed her lips thoughtfully.

"You get mad at me all the time, too. I don't know why, either. Why do you suppose we're always fighting with one another?"

Blair squirmed, a little uncomfortable with the topic.

"I guess we just make each other mad."

Jo shook her head, unsatisfied with Blair's answer.

"But why do you only get mad at me? Nat and Tootie do some of the same things I do, but you don't get mad at them."

Blair shrugged, "It's different with you. I expect more from you."

"Why?"

Blair stood and began pacing in front of the sofa.

"I don't know why. Why do you have to analyze everything? Can't we just accept how things are without having to know why we do the things we do?"

Jo stood and blocked Blair's path. They stood toe to toe, staring into one another's eyes.

"No, Blair. I can't let it go. I have to know if . . . if . . ."

Jo never had a chance to finish her thought because Blair's lips were suddenly touching her own. It was their first kiss and they owed it all to their observant friends.

As they kissed, Jo slowly wrapped her arms around Blair's waist and drew her closer to her. She wanted more than to just to kiss her; she needed her to be close to her. She needed to feel her softness, she needed to smell that expensive Chanel perfume she was wearing, she needed that thick silk-like hair of Blair's rubbed against her face, she needed all of her, for she hungered for Blair's love and she couldn't let her go.

Blair in return held Jo tight as could. She felt loved within the strong arms of Jo. She felt security when she looked at Jo's green eyes. She felt complete when their lips touched for the first time.

After what seemed like an eternity, they parted from their kiss, yet kept their arms wrapped around each other. Looking deeply into Blair's dark brown eyes, Jo husked, "...if you love me." Part of her hair was over her face.

Blair smiled reassuringly and lightly brushed off Jo's hair off her face. "I think I gave you my answer, just as much as you gave me yours." They both giggled and then they continued their embracing and kissing, savoring their newfound love. All the while, they were unaware of the investigative reporter snooping from the stairs as Natalie had a smile seeing her friends finally recognizing their long-denied love for each other.


	4. Revelation to Mrs Garrett

Wedding Bells Are Ringing - Chapter 4

(Returning back to the present)

"And from that point on, we became a couple. Two days later, I told Cindy about it during a game of hoops. I knew she wouldn't have any problems with it since we went to a few gay bars together. She asked me 'what the hell took me so long to figure that out?'"

Everybody just chuckled, "Yeah, I was like 'it's about time girl!' Couldn't you see that for a long time?" Cindy joked.

"Well, I was in total denial, probably due to my strong Catholic upbringings. Besides her and Sue Ann, only Natalie knew. Blair and I dated other men to keep up the charade for other people. I even once dated El DeBarge when I met him at Over Our Heads once. I really don't wanna talk about that." Jo remembered unfortunately.

"Yeah, big mistake..." Natalie trailed.

"Tootie, of course, found out when we went to the karaoke place, but Mrs. Garrett found out without us telling her."

"How so?" Willis inquired.

"She told me that our attitudes towards each other have changed dramatically. She also said that she noticed that we were sharing a lot more things than before. Plus, she already dealt with a lesbian couple before, so what we were doing was nothing new to her. However, all of that was just pure speculation on her part, until she finally got solid proof, from us..."

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_It was 10:30 PM on Christmas night 1985 and Jo and Blair were sitting on the couch with Jo wrapping her arms around Blair while Blair muzzled up next to Jo. No one else was there, so they had some much needed quality time for themselves. They were sipping on some warm cinnamon apple cider and enjoying each other's company. For most of the week, Blair was too busy being her mom's "coach". Jo understood that__,__ but she couldn't help feeling a bit miserable because of not being able to spend quality time with the woman she cherishes__._

"_So you and__ your mom got yourselves a surprise Christmas gift, huh?"_

"_We sure did, and it came in 6 poun__ds and 12 ounces!" Blair beamed while Jo grinned in return__._

"_So why did you name her Bailey?"_

"_I named her after my grandfather, who I still fondly remember__."_

"_I see. Why not call her Diana? After all, Princess Diana is your role model,__"__ Jo chaffed._

_Blair lightly punched Jo on her shoulder, "She's not my role model. Estee Lauder is."_

_Jo just chuckled, "But I'm glad to see that you got a sibling."_

"_Thanks," Blair responded with her warm smile._

"_It's probably the closest thing that we can ever get to having a child," Jo sulked, thinking of the impossibility of them producing a child__._

_Blair quickly turned around and looked at her lover, "Don't say that. We can adopt children, or we can have artificial insemination. Just because we__'re__ both women doesn't mean that we can't have a family. Jo, I want to have a family with you. I want to build my life around you, just as much as you want to build your life around me. But then again, with what I have to offer, who wouldn't?" she gleamed__._

"_Blair!" Jo spat._

"_Just kidding__,__ Sweetie. But regardless of what others have to say, I truly believe that God wants us to be together. Nobody has ever made me feel as special as you have__." Then she __moves in closet to Jo, "And nobody or no deity will stand in between us."_

_Feeling Blair's warm breath, she asked "Is this the time that I kiss you?"_

"_You better. Look above you."_

_Jo raised her head up and saw Blair holding a mistletoe. She then looked back at Blair with her sly smile and slowly kissed her. However__,__ they weren't aware that Mrs. Garrett came downstairs for a glass of water. She was shocked, but not appalled. She tried to quietly go back upstairs but the second step creaked. _

_Jo and Blair instantly turned around and saw Mrs. Garrett nervously looking down and fiddling her fingers__._

"_It wasn't what you think it was, Mrs. G!" Jo__ blurted in a state of panic._

"_Yeah, it's was that__…__ Jo got something stuck in her teeth," Blair explained, using one of her not-so-brilliant-ideas. Jo looked at her like, __'Couldn'__t you think of a better lie, Princess?'__"_

_Edna just smiled, then she calmly collected her nerves and told them, "There's no need to panic, I had expected it for a while." The girls were stunned to hear her revelation. "I saw how close you two have become in the past year and knew that there was more going on. Truth is__,__ I was hoping you two would reach this point."_

"_Really?" Jo questioned, __shocked at Mrs. Garrett's revelation__._

"_Absolutely. I think you two were made for each other, regardless of what others think. I've seen one lesbian relationship blossom before my eyes and they are still doing fine, despite the obstacles they've faced__."_

"_Cindy and Sue Ann, right?"_

"_Yes__,__ Jo. However, just like when they were living here, you two will have to follow the ground rules as long as you call this home. That means no excessive public display of affection, and you two must sleep in separate beds__."_

"_But__,__ Mrs. Garrett, we're over 18 now!" Jo protested._

"_Yes, but you have two roommates who have yet to reach 18. Plus I need my sleep!"_

_Jo and Blair blushed after her comment. "We haven't reached that point yet in our relationship, but I understand__,__ Mrs. G.__,__" Jo responded._

"_Good. Also, you have to be careful. I don't think I need to tell you that some people are not as accepting as I am. Sue Ann and Cindy can tell you all about that."_

"_Yeah, Cindy told me quite a few stories…" Jo brooded with a touch of fear in her voice._

"_Look, I'll leave you two alone and get my water. But__,__ please__,__ be careful__,__ you two. I'm very serious,__"__ she warned as she looked at the two young partners with a straight face__._

_As Mrs. Garrett headed to the kitchen, Jo and Blair smiled, feeling like some of the weight on their shoulders was gone. Then they resumed their kissing. _

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"And that's how she found out," Jo informed them.

"Well, it's great that she's been supportive of you two," Willis rejoined.

"You know Mrs. G. She might be old, but she's a cool lady. She supported your marriage with Sharon, even though she's white," Sue Ann reminded him. Willis nodded in return.

"Yeah, I'm thankful for that," he grinned. "So what about you and Cindy? How did you two became a couple."

Sue Ann looked up to him, "Well, it happened after the whole race debacle…"

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_It was spring of 1980 when Mrs. Garrett tore the picture of the former friends into two, she handed the picture to them. Cindy took a look and saw a smiling Sue Ann. She really missed that smile and wanted it back, for deep down she knew that she loved her. The same with Sue Ann, she harbored deep feelings for her friend before the whole racing nonsense. She wasn't sure that Cindy felt the same way, but she didn't want to end their friendship either. Also, she was told by her family that same-sex relationships were not okay._

_After they took the picture with Mrs. Garrett, they went upstairs and they had their own private talk._

"_I'm so sorry__,__ Sue Ann, I was being a jerk." Cindy said regretfully while looking down on the floor._

"_It's okay, it was me who got jealous first. Let's learn from this and continue on with our friendship."_

_Cindy smiled, "Yes, I do want our friendship back__." What she really wanted was Sue Ann __to be her girlfriend. She had learned and accepted the fact that she was not 'normal', and that she was gay. But she didn't know if Sue Ann felt the same way. As she tried to move her neck, she felt pain._

"_Ouch! My neck hurts!"_

_Sue Ann said, "Where?"_

"_Right around the area between my neck and the back of my shoulder blade,__"__ she pointed._

"_Here let me help you," Sue Ann said as she started to massage her roommate. Her soft, firm hand started to drive Cindy crazy _as the limber fingers worked her stiff neck muscles soothingly._ Sue Ann was also trying to repress her own feelings for Cindy, thinking they were unnatural. Eventually, they both looked at each other and stopped for a minute, gazing each other. Cindy inched in for a kiss. Sue Ann didn't pull away. In fact__,__ she inched in as well and finally their lips touched. They kissed for a bit, as each was exploring each other. Cindy tightly wrapped her arms around Sue Ann, as she didn't want to let her go. _

_When they broke off, Cindy responded, "I never hated you__.__ In fact__,__ I've always loved you."_

_Sue Ann didn't smile, instead a worried look was on her face__.__ "I don't know what to make of this. Where I'm from, it's not okay to feel this way, but I do. "_

"_This is not Kansas, Sue Ann, this is New York, we are free to love each other as we see fit. We're far away from your family's prying eyes."_

"_But what about Mrs. Garrett, or the rest of the girls including Blair? She will use it against us__,__" Sue Ann said with great concern._

"_After you decked her in the eye, she will use anything against you, though I think she deserved it,__"__ Cindy chuckled and Sue Ann did in return._

"_Yeah, she sure did. But what if others found out? I really do love you,__ and I don't want to be with anyone else, but I'm afraid the consequence outweighs the reward." A tear was starting to slide down her right cheek__._

_Cindy then looked at her and dried her eye with her right hand. "I seriously doubt that. The rewards of love far outweigh the consequences. Nobody else makes me feel so special than you do, and I want to make you feel special too. I want to make you happy, and I know we got a wonderful and special thing going on. I'm sure that Mrs. Garrett will be very accepting of our relationship. The other girls will come around, trust me__,__ Sue Ann. As for Blair, who cares? If she decides to cause any trouble, we got Mrs. Garrett to back us up! Plus, she knows that we both can kick her butt any time!__"_

_Sue Ann saw the conviction and love in her partner's eyes. However, there was still that one lingering question. "But you still haven't answered about my family."_

"_When they see how happy you are, and how much we love each other, they'll accept it. If they don't accept it, then we'll find other friends who will accept us. We're not alone, even though it feels like it. There's Greenwich Village__,__ after all!__"_

_Sue Ann smiled, "Yeah, you're right, I really shouldn't worry. It's just that…"_

"_I understand. It's not 'normal' but who wants something normal and ordinary? Why want something normal when you can have something unique and wonderful… and special? That's what our love is__,__ special__,__" __Cindy told her as she closed in for another kiss._

_Sue Ann whispered, "Yeah, our love is special." Their lip's finally touched and they kissed even more passionately than before. They were in their own world for nearly a minute until they heard a knock on the door. _

"_I'll get it," Cindy said followed by a peck on her lover's lips. Sue Ann blushed. Cindy opened the door. It was Molly._

"_Hey__,__ Cindy, I –," She immediately paused as she examined the flushed face of the lovers. She knew there was always an attraction between the two, but now she knew it was more than that, from their blushing faces and the fact that there was some lip gloss smeared on Cindy's lip. After all, Molly was a master of reading body expressions. _

"_Umm… I was going to ask you two to pose for another picture, but I see that now is not a good time…"_

"_Oh no, we would love for you to take our picture, right__,__ Sue Ann?"_

"_Of course!" she emoted._

_Molly didn't know what to make out of it, so she went ahead to prepare for the picture. When she got them in her camera range, she was surprise how much radiant energy those two were given off. _

"_Oh__,__ my God, I think I need some sunglasses to deal with this!"__ she thought to herself. She noticed how much closer the couple was to each other than in the previous shot. Molly adjusted the lenses and took the picture. _

"_Can you take one more, please?" Cindy begged._

"_Oh__,__ ok," Molly responded without any problems__.__ In fact__,__ she wanted to take a lot more so she could analyze the couple. What she noticed is how very touchy Cindy is compared to Sue Ann, meaning she is probably more affectionate to Sue Ann, but also more emotional and sensitive, which could be a good and a bad thing. Cindy had her arms more wrapped than Sue Ann's and she was softly stroking the side of Sue Ann's hip with her index finger, thinking that Molly wouldn't notice it. _

_Molly reloaded the film, and took a shot. "Well__,__ that's two, do you want me to take more?"_

"_No, no__ thanks. We got other things to take care of. Thanks though," Cindy responded._

"_Oh__,__ ok. Well__,__ take care__,__ you two," and she left the room. Cindy then quickly locked the door and showed a sly smile on her face. Sue Ann showed her own as well. Without saying a word, Cindy came up to her and started their passionate kissing once again…_

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"And that's how it happened," Sue Ann beamed. Cindy smiled as well.

"But how did Mrs. Garrett found out?" Willis inquired.

"She said that she had her suspicions since I hanged around a bit with Sue Ann, however it was when she went into our room and noticed that there were two pillows on Sue Ann's bed and none on my bed," Cindy recalled.

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_Several months later after the race, Cindy had just walked into the room and saw Mrs. Garrett instantly turn towards her__._

_"Hey there__,__ Cindy."_

_"Hi__,__ Mrs. Garrett."_

_She closed the door gently and then she looked at Cindy with some concern, "I want to know something."_

_"What is it__,__ Mrs. G?"_

_"Why are there two pillows on Sue Ann's bed and none on yours?"_

_"Well..." Cindy was trying to think of something quick. "Sue Ann was complaining about her pillow last night being too flat, so I gave her another one and told her to shut up."_

_Mrs. Garrett took it as a reasonable response, but she also noticed something else._

_"But your bed is well made, unlike your dresser and the rest of your part of the room."_

_Cindy was now starting to get nervous and her face was showing it. Mrs. Garrett detected but continued her interrogation__._

_"Also I see some of your clothes in Sue Ann's pile, can you explain why?"_

_"I-I-I think there was some mix up going on..."_

_Cindy thought she got away with her lie, but the crafty Mrs. Garrett had one more trick up her sleeve. She went to Sue Ann's bed and pulled Cindy's pajamas from underneath her pillow. It was clearly her's since it had her name on pajama shirt._

"_Care to exp__lain this?" she simply asked. Cindy stalled a bit, trying to come up with another lie. Mrs. Garrett wasn't in the mood for Cindy's lies, so she frankly asked her, "Cindy, can you please tell me the truth, are you and Sue Ann in love with each other?"_

_That moment, she instantly froze and hesitated, "Uh-uh-uh?"_

_Mrs. G. then smiled, "You don't need to worry about me, I see nothing wrong with you two being in love."_

_Cindy first looked at her with shock__,__ then finally with a beaming smile on her face, feeling like a ton of brick was finally off of her._

_"Really?" she exclaimed._

_"Yes. I have no problems with it. In fact, I think it's wonderful that you are in love__.__"_

_Cindy still had that huge gleaming smile on her face and told her, "Oh__,__ thank you very much!"_

"_No problem, but I want to talk to you and Sue Ann about a few things when she comes here. You two may be in love, but you still have to abide by the rules here."_

"_I understand,__"__ she responded, knowing Mrs. Garrett's rules very well._

"_Get me __when Sue Ann comes back from her shower."_

"_Okay__.__"_

_About fifteen minutes later, Sue Ann entered into the room._

"_Hey there__,__ Babe," Cindy smiled._

"_Hi there__,__ Sweetie, what's up?"_

"_Um, stay here for a bit, I'll be back."_

_Sue Ann was a bit worried, "What's wrong?"_

"_Nothing, I'll be back." _

_Cindy went downstairs to get Mrs. Garrett. They came into the room and Cindy sat right next to Sue Ann. She held Sue Ann's hand. Sue Ann was shocked and scared about it._

"_Cindy!"_

"_Don't worry about it__,__ Sue Ann, I already know," Mrs. Garrett reassured her with her smile._

"_But how?"_

"_You should have kept only one pillow on your bed," she said with a coy grin._

_Sue Ann's eyes nearly popped out, then she turned to Cindy and scolded her, "Cindy__,__ I told you she'll find out that you were sleeping with me."_

"_What?!" Mrs. Garrett shouted._

"_It's not like that! We never did 'it', it's just that Cindy wants to be close to me, so she sleeps with me in the bed during the night__."_

"_You better stop doing that from this point on, because that's one of the ground rules here. As long as you're staying here, you two will be sleeping in separate beds."_

"_Okay,"__ Cindy responded, feeling ashamed for her actions._

"_And there won't be any extreme public display of__ affection, you two understand?"_

"_Yes__,__ we do."_

"_Highly unlikely, if people found out about __us, we would be in deep trouble,__"__ Sue Ann informed._

"_That's__ another concern," Mrs. Garrett warned as she gave them a sorrowful look. "You two have got to be very careful about your relationship. I know you want to shout it out to the world that you love each other, but the world still sees your love as a sickness."_

"_I know__,__ Mrs. Garrett. I know my family would be ashamed that I'm with a girl," Sue Ann answered while trying her best not to cry. Cindy instantly comforted her._

_Mrs. Garrett tried not to cry as well, feeling Sue Ann's pain, "I can't speak for your parents, but I can speak for myself that no matter what__,__ I will support you both. You don't have to worry about that."_

_Sue Ann then smiled, "Thanks__,__ Mrs. Garrett."_

"_Thanks__,__ Mrs. Garrett__." Cindy responded._

_The smile returned to Mrs. Garrett__'__s face, __"Good, now I need to continue cleaning the kitchen."_

_As she left the room, they embraced each other and then they kissed__._

(Return to the present)

"I'm so glad that Mrs. Garrett was accepting of our relationship. I thank her for accepting us as we are. Also, she may have laid the ground rules on us, but we found a way around that." Sue Ann stated with a slick smile.

"How so?" Willis asked with intrigue, his heterosexual male curiosity was getting the best of him.

"There's a barn near the place, I'm a farm girl, there are noisy animals in the barn, and we got lots of blankets. You do the math." A blush appeared on her's and Cindy's face. Willis started to blush as well while the others laughed.

"Well that's one way to go around her rules," Jo sniggered. "Anyhow, I need to check up on Blair." So she pulled out her cell and called Blair.

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	5. What a Suprise

Wedding Bells Are Ringing – Chapter 5

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Blair, along with Kimberly and Nancy, were at Kleinfeld, a top-rated wedding store in Manhattan, which shouldn't be that much of a surprise, since Blair is known to only want the best.

There was Blair, standing in front of the mirror with Kimberly and Nancy sitting a few feet away. The two were examining the dress, seeing if it fits their approval. However, it wouldn't matter much, because Blair's approval was the only one that really mattered.

"So what do you think, Kimberly?" Blair asked while posing in a rather regal manner.

"I think it's perfect for you, Blair." Kimberly nodded.

"Yeah, I really like it myself." Blair grinned, showing her pearly whites. The smile quickly disappeared when Blair looked at her watch, as she was wondering what was taking Tootie and Bailey so long.

"It's been past two hours and they're not here yet!" She complained, which sounded a bit like whining.

"Come on Blair, don't you know how many invitations you ordered in such a short time?" Kimberly tried to reason with Blair, while Nancy nodded.

"Not really, since I pre-ordered those invitations six months ago, so they should have been here by now!"

"You're acting like you're going to get married tomorrow. The wedding is not for at least six months." Nancy dismissed.

"Actually, I was able to move it up to next month just a few minutes ago. Jo's priest was more than happy to accommodate a slot for us." She ended with a wide grin that could give the Cheshire cat's grin some competition.

"What!" Kimberly and Nancy jumped out of their seats and shouted in unison.

"Does Jo know about this?" Nancy asked with slight fear.

"Nope, but she will soon." Blair responded nonchalantly.

Kimberly and Nancy shook their heads and went back to their seats. They knew that the very methodical and forward-planning Jo would not like Blair's spontaneous rescheduling. As it was shown at the birthday/engagement party, Jo did not like surprises.

"Oh boy…" Nancy muttered.

Then all of a sudden, the store's front door flew open. Tootie finally came back from the printing press with Bailey, both winded. In their hands were some of the over 10,000 invitations printed, and that was only half of what Blair ordered!

"What took you so long?" Blair admonished unreasonably to the two women.

"Well, if you didn't make an order to print out invitations for the entire city of New York, then we would have been here sooner." Bailey derided.

Blair just huffed and didn't bother to say a word to her sister.

Tootie didn't bother to respond either; instead she looked at the dress and gushed about it. "Wow, that's a great dress. I know Jo will love it!"

"I don't know, Tootie. She looks a bit fat in it." Bailey dryly teased.

Blair knew her sarcastic sister well enough not to get too angry about it, even though she had weight problems in the past. She was no skinny pencil, but she was at a comfortable and healthy weight that highlighted her curvy figure. None the less, she still spat back at her. "Oh shut up Bailey!"

The rest of the women just giggled, not taking Blair's angry spat seriously.

"Yeah, we finally found one that's perfect for her. It was a relief, since we went through like ten already…" Kimberly derided.

"But it was worth it." Blair chimed. "I want nothing but the best for the wedding."

"I can understand. That's how I was in my wedding. It seems like yesterday when me and Roger got married." Nancy brought it up in a dreamy matter.

"Yeah, that was a wonderful wedding." Kimberly reminisced.

"Wait 'til you look back at your wedding photos and see the hairstyle you had!" Tootie joked. It was in 1986, and it doesn't take much to imagine how bad the hairstyle was back in the eighties.

"Oh God, that big hair of mine…" Nancy shuttered, remembering the big bangs she had. It was "totally rad" back then, but now she would consider it to be "totally bogus". "Yeah, thank God those days are gone."

They all chuckled. Then Blair's phone rang. She looked at her iPhone screen and it displayed "My Sweetie."

"Oh, it's my future wife calling." She squealed like she was still twelve.

She answered it, and Jo's distinctive Bronx accent came through the phone.

"Heya Blair, what's up?"

"Oh nothing. I'm trying on the wedding dress. I think I found one that I really like."

"Wedding dress? You already goin' shoppin' for a dress? I thought you went to get stuff like napkins or decorations?" Jo questioned as her confusion started to grow.

"Of course, sweetie!"

A puzzled look appeared on Jo's face. "Okay… What does it look like?"

The rest of the group were just as puzzled as Jo, and they started to look at each other, questioning what was going on.

"A wedding dress? …Already?" Natalie questioned to Willis. Willis just shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, why didn't she tell me about this? I could have gone with them." Sue Ann questioned. "How inconsiderate of her!" she huffed.

"Don't even bother, honey. Blair does whatever she feels like." Cindy pointed out to Sue Ann.

"I know that Blair was looking forward to getting married, but I didn't think she was going to go this far!" Jo fretted. "Sometimes, I wonder what my heart was thinking when it chose Blair to be my life-partner."

Back at the wedding shop, Blair took the phone off her ear and asked the group. "Jo wants to see the dress. Can someone send a picture to her?"

"No problem. I will." Tootie responded. She whipped out her new Samsung Galaxy s2 and was about to take a picture before Blair stopped her.

"Hold on. I need to have a better pose."

Blair then put on yet another regal wedding pose with her trademarked hair flip and Tootie took the picture. She then emailed the picture to Jo's email.

On the other end, Jo got a message saying that she received an email. She checked it and saw the photo. Jo rolled her eyes, then smiled. She turned around and showed the picture to everyone.

"Hey check it out, folks."

All the women in the room squealed and gushed about it, even tomboyish Cindy.

"Ahh, she looks so wonderful!" Sue Ann gushed.

Willis smiled when he saw it. "That dress kinda looks like what Sharon wore on our wedding."

"Oh it sure does!" Natalie chimed, while Cindy simply nodded.

However, Jo was in no mood to be ingratiating over the picture.

"I know you really want this wedding to be wonderful n' all, but it's at least six months away." Jo wondered as she expressed her confusion with her free hand.

"Not anymore."

Jo nearly dropped the phone when she heard that. "Whaddiya mean 'not anymore'?" Now Jo was really perplexed.

Blair got nervous and stuttered, "I-I-I w-w-was able to move it up to next month."

Jo nearly had a heart-attack after Blair's last statement, as Jo's well-known short fuse went off.

"WHAT?! NEXT MONTH?!"

"L-l-listen honey, the sooner, the better. There shouldn't be such a long delay for our marriage."

But Jo wanted to hear none of that. "Blair! Why do you keep on doing these things?"

"Because I love you honey, and I want us to be wife and wife soon. Don't you want us to be married?"

"I do, but I wish you would talk about these things with me first. I haven't even picked my bridesmaids!" Jo stressed out.

"You got enough time to pick your bridesmaid." Blair added with a matter-of-fact tone. In her mind, she had already picked hers.

"That's not the point! We're supposed to do this together, that's what couples do. What the hell is wrong with you? Why do you keep on throwing caution to the wind?"

On the other end, Blair was steaming up.

"You have the audacity to say I throw caution to the wind! Who's the police officer here? Who rides the bike here? Who messes with electricity or electrical items here?"

"For the bike part, we both do. I taught you." Jo interrupted.

Blair huffed at the other end. "You know what I mean Jo!"

"I sure do, but they are not good excuses for what you just did! At least you know that I'm a cop, and that I ride a bike. And I always have a plan when I do things. I don't do them at a spur of the moment. Heck, you haven't even gotten your bridesmaid."

"Actually, I have. Could you please put it on speaker?"

"Okay…" Jo selected the speaker button and told Blair "You're now on speaker." She then held her phone out in the room for everybody to hear.

"Good. Sue Ann, do you want to be my bridesmaid?"

"Uh… Sure." Sue Ann answered uncomfortably, as she was put on the spot.

"Good, then you'll join Kimberly, Bailey, Nancy, and Tootie as my bridesmaids."

The four women in the wedding shop were both surprised and delighted. However, Jo still wasn't.

"That's fine, but what about me?"

"Well you can ask Natalie and Cindy, I bet they won't mind." Blair simply suggested. She knew that they would obviously say yes.

"Most likely, they won't. That makes two, I still need three more."

"There's also Molly, I know that she wouldn't mind being your bridesmaid, since you two are very good friends."

"That means nothing, Blair. I still have to call her and see if she will accept it." Jo replied. Unlike Blair, Jo don't take things for granted.

"Then call her and see. If she says no, then it's not the end of the world. You got friends at your job that wouldn't mind being your bridesmaid."

"Okay, I got it Blair. I will give her a call." Jo sighed at the end. She was getting tired of this already, and Blair could detect it in her voice, but she kept silent about it. Instead, she brought up that Jo still needed more bridesmaids.

"That will be great. Now that leaves you with two more."

Jo thought about it for a bit before answering. She was thinking about some of her co-workers being potential bridesmaids, but in the midst of her pondering, a special person in Jo's life popped up. She had a profound effect in Jo's life, ever since that day when Jo's car broke down on her way to Yale. She came to pick her up to take her there, had a wonderful chat in the car, and Jo felt her life has been for the better since.

"Hey, do you think your sister Meg would mind?"

That took Blair by surprise. She was expecting someone from Jo's precinct, or one of her old friends from the Bronx.

"…Uh, I don't think so, but why her?"

"Well, ya know ever since that day we talked, I became more religious. She was one of the reasons why I wanted to be a cop. I wanted to do good for a cause that's greater than I am, and I think this is my way of saying thanks."

Blair smiled on the other end. "Well, do you still have her number?"

"Even though it's been over two years since I've talked to her, I still do."

"That's great. Now you only got one more. So who's the last one?"

Jo was irritated again, as she told Blair.

"Blair, will ya' quit rushin' me? Don't put me on da spot because ya can't wait ta get married."

She replied back in the same manner. "Look! I did it for the both of us, whether you appreciate it or not! Now tell Sue Ann that I'm available anytime tomorrow so that she can try on her dress. Good bye!" Blair hung up and was still fuming. The women were looking at her with some sympathy.

"I told you earlier that Jo wouldn't like it." Bailey admonished with an eye rolled as a touch.

Blair simply responded, "Jo will get over it. I hope…"

They didn't have much time to dwell on the blowup, since they had to start looking for their bridesmaid dresses. After all the trying and fitting in the clothes, Kimberly asked, "So Blair, who's going to be the best woman?"

"Yeah, we need to know now since wedding rehearsal is coming up." Nancy asked.

Blair knew she had to make the decision at that moment. She didn't like to be on the spot, but with the serious glares directed at her, she had no other choice.

"Well Nancy, we've been good friends for over thirty years. I couldn't ask for a better friend." A small blush appeared on Nancy's face. "And Bailey, you're all that I could ask for in a sister, when you're not busy being sarcastic and cynical." At first, she rolled her eyes, then she smiled and nodded. "Kimberly, we used to be enemies, but now we're good friends, and I'm thankful for that." Kimberly chuckled, remembering those verbal fights they had back in their Eastland days. "However, Tootie, you've been the closest to me besides Jo, and you have been a great friend for many years, from the days of Emily Dickinson and that van crash, to now. So I have to say that I want you to be the maid of honor.

The news brought an elated Tootie to tears. "Oh thank you so much!"

She jumped out of her seat and hugged Blair, while the other three watched happily. As Tootie joyfully hugged her, Blair smiled, knowing she had made the right choice on that day.

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When Jo hung up, she sighed without saying a word.

"I wonder if Blair was once a baseball pitcher in her past life, because she likes to throw curveballs at you." Cindy stated while shaking her head.

"Yes, she does… Why does she always do this?"

"I don't know." Cindy shrugged. "But while you were on the phone, screaming at Ms. Park Avenue, Natalie and I did agree to be your bridesmaids."

A small smiled formed on Jo's face, even though she had little doubt that they would turn it down.

"Good. Now I need to give Molly and Sister Meg a call."

"Is she still a nun?" Sue Ann asked.

"Yep. She still is. She moved to that monastery on 83rd Street a few years back. She really loves it. I don't know how she stays celibate."

"With all those women around, what makes you think she does?" Natalie joked with a wink. Everyone laughed, even Jo.

"Ah come on now, Natalie. Not all nuns are repressed lesbians! Most are really straight." Jo dismissed lightheartedly.

"Only thing straight about them is that they like to go straight to the muff!" Willis jibbed along, and that caused even more laughter from the group.

"Oh stop it! Sister Meg is a faithful nun. She wouldn't do those things." Jo dismissed again, this time with her head shaking in disbelief.

"We're just kidding, Jo. We know she is. So who's number five, Jo?" Cindy asked.

"Yeah, don't hold up the suspense, Jo!" Willis added.

However, Jo wouldn't answer their question. "I dunno really. I need to think that one over. Let's just get back to the game. Jeter's up at bat." Jo dismissed in a hurry, clearly she didn't want to talk about it anymore. She left the group hanging, and the conversation switched back to the game.

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After the game was over, everybody was leaving, except Natalie. Jo stopped her.

"Hey Nat, can I see you for a moment?"

"Sure. What's up?"

"Umm…" She was nervous about this. It should be simple, since she's been in life-threatening situations before, yet she was still jittering. "I need ta ask ya sumthin'."

"Okay, what is it?"

Sweat was starting to form on her face. She was getting more tense and nervous. "Do you mind being my maid of honor?"

Natalie quickly got excited. "Of course! I was hoping something like would happen to me."

"Great! Thanks."

Natalie said no more as she left the place. When she was outside, she saw Cindy and Sue Ann waiting.

"So she told you?" Sue Ann chimed.

"How did you two know?"

"Jo wouldn't stop anybody like that unless it's something very important." Sue Ann answered.

"But are you okay with that, Cindy?"

She shrugged, "Sure. You're basically her best friend, next to Blair."

"Yeah, it was obvious that she would choose you." Sue Ann shrugged.

"Well, thanks for both of you understanding and not getting upset."

"That's cool, but who could be the last bridesmaid?" Sue Ann asked.

"Like Jo said, she hasn't decided yet on who is going to be the last one." Natalie shrugged. "Well, she'll eventually tell us. Though I have a big hunch who she is."

The blond couple looked at each other. Sue Ann replied, "You mean…"

"Her?" Cindy finished. She knew who Natalie was referring to.

"Yep, her. Hey, she's one of Jo's dearest friends." Natalie defended.

"I have no problems with her, but Blair on the other hand…" Cindy cautioned.

"Yeah, well she owes her a big apology. I'll tell you more about that later."

"I see. Let's go to a bar or some Irish pub and celebrate. Congratulations Natalie!" Cindy chimed.

"Thanks," Natalie replied as all three headed to their cars.

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	6. Yet Another Surprise

Wedding Bells Are Ringing – Chapter 6

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Jo should be used to Blair's spontaneous nature by now, and she is, but even so, it still doesn't make things easier for her. She was still steaming over the fact that Blair bumped the wedding date to one month. That didn't leave her a lot of time to do any planning or preparation. Nevertheless, she found herself making a few phone calls to her close friends and relatives, including her mother, Rose, telling them about the new wedding date that Blair pretty much Shanghai'd her on.

The good part about it is that relations with her mother have improved greatly since that birthday/engagement party. They talk at least on a weekly basis by phone, and they visit each other as often as they can, though it used to be Jo that visits her mother, because she was pretty much always working. However, Blair stepped in and gave her some money so that she can finally stop working and enjoy her earlier retirement. But work was ingrained into the elderly woman's bones, even though she's getting close to seventy, and she got quickly bored, so she got herself a part-time job at Starbucks.

Jo was more than happy to air her complaints to Rose, who listened carefully like a loving mother would. Paying close attention to Jo's numerous frustrations.

"Sometimes, I want to strangle Cupid for making me fall in love with Blair. Now I got to call up Sister Meg and Molly to see if they want to be my bridesmaids, Jesus… This seems to be always the case, me having to scramble for everything, due to one of Blair's whims. I feel like I have no control!"

Rose shook her head like a concerned mom right after Jo finished her rant. "My, you haven't changed one bit. You're just like your dad; you let things overwhelm you too much. What you should do is have a heart to heart talk with Blair. Let her understand how you feel about her impulsive decisions."

"But I do ma, I really do!"

"I mean a cordial discussion, not one of those frustrated outbursts you usually do."

Jo swallowed a lump and stammered on the phone. "Uh – uh…"

"I know how you are. You are my daughter, after all, but I think it would be wise for you to make her understand how you feel when she does these things. Make sure you address how powerless you feel and how stressful it is to you. Those are very essential." She told her in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Yeah, I really do feel powerless and stressed out. Like a hamster in a spinning wheel. The only thing is that the hamster doesn't mind and the hamster is in control."

Rose chuckles, then in a calm tone she told Jo, "Look, you need to have that talk with her, regardless, capiche?"

"Si, io capisco." She responded back in Italian. She's been learning some Italian lately. "Thanks, ma."

"No problem. Please, don't let it get to you."

"I won't." Then she hung up. Jo took a breath and thought to herself, _"Ma's right, I got to really have that talk with her. Whenever I try to, she usually blows it off, or doesn't take it seriously. However, this time I got to make her have her full attention to me and see how serious I am." _She made a mental note to prepare a short outline for the talk. After that, she then called Molly. The phone rang three times before she picked up.

"Hello?" Molly answered. Jo can hear what sounded like a copier in the background. At the time, Molly was in the copy room, making some printouts for a meeting.

"Hi Molly, how are you doing?"

"Fine, what's up?"

"You know about our wedding, right?"

"Yeah, I got it down on the calendar for the fall…" She paused a bit and then she replied, "Wait a minute, Blair changed the date, didn't she?"

"How did you guess?"

"This is Blair we're talking about. Remember that time when she changed the date for the skiing trip to Vermont?" Molly quietly chuckled to herself, remembering all the commotion between those two over the directions on the map. Molly had to eventually take over as the navigator.

"Yeah, that's true. Well, are you available for lunch tomorrow?"

"Sure I am. Tomorrow seems to be a slow day here at the headquarters, so it would be perfect."

"That's good to know. Is Café Zaiya fine with you? Since I know that you're very picky on what you eat." Jo noted, knowing how health-conscious Molly is.

"Café Zaiya is a great place. They have excellent tofu dishes."

Back in Jo's mind, she was thinking, _"Tofu? Yuck, who could eat that crap?"_

"Yeah, and someone else will be there."

"Who?" Molly asked in a surprised tone.

"Sister Meg."

"You mean Blair's sister?"

"Yep." Jo simply replied back.

"Well that's cool. I bet it will be an interesting lunch. Hope she doesn't try to convert me."

Jo was a bit offended by Molly's statement, thus she had to tell her in a slightly angry tone, "Just because she's a nun, doesn't mean she'll try to convert you, nor does it mean she'll talk about religion and Jesus 24/7. She knows that you're an atheist and she knows better than to try and convert you, so don't make any assumptions about her."

Molly, feeling a bit ashamed, apologized. "I'm sorry about that."

Jo replied back to her in a rather stern tone. "It's okay, but don't do that again, got it?"

"Not a problem. Oh, and Jo, one more thing?"

"What is it?"

"Yes, I'll be one of your bridesmaids." Molly smiled at the end.

Jo was thinking in her mind, _"What the fuck…?"_ "Nothing escapes from you?"

Molly smiled at the other end. "Nope. Nothing really does."

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Immediately after her phone call to Molly, Jo called Sister Meg. She instantly saw Jo's name and her phone number on her Nokio N8.

"Hi Jo."

"Hey there, Sis." Sister Meg couldn't help but to chuckle whenever Jo calls her "Sis.," instead of her full name. "Are you available for lunch, tomorrow?"

Sister Meg knew Jo well enough that she won't set up a lunch unless it's important. "Sure. What's up?"

"I would rather tell you in person during lunch. How 'bout Café Zaiya in Midtown?"

Sister Meg smiled on the other end. "That would work, since Café Zaiya is not too far from the monastery. What time?"

"12:30. I got sumthin' to share!"

"Like what, another breakthrough?" Sister Meg was gleaming on the other end.

"…Sumthin' like that."

"Okay, I'll be there. God bless."

"You too, sis."

Jo hung up and took a much-needed deep breath. She was sure that Sister Meg won't say no, but unlike Blair, she doesn't take things as 100% guarantees.

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Next day at the café, with a cup of mochaccino and a chicken curry sandwich, Jo was waiting for the two women to come. They weren't late because Jo came early and it was still 12:15. She didn't have to work today, so she was wearing her light blue Polo shirt with dark blue jeans. As she was looking at the other folks in the cafe, she spotted Molly. She waved to get her attention and Molly spotted her. As soon as Molly got to the table, she greeted her with a hug.

"Hey Jo, how has this day been, since Blair changed the wedding?"

"Well, not so great, since I had to go and quickly pick out my dress about an hour ago."

Molly couldn't help but to chuckle at Jo as she seated herself. "You? Wearing a wedding dress?"

Jo shrugged before sitting down. She considers herself more feminine than how she is generally perceived. "I may not be a girlie-type of woman, but I still am a woman. Wearing a dress doesn't bother me that much, as long as I don't have to wear one every single day." She paused a bit to look at her time, and then she continued. "What I would wear is not exactly your typical wedding dress. Probably more like a white blouse with a blazer and a skirt."

"Hey, I have no problems with you wearing a wedding dress, even though I'm a feminist. It just that it doesn't seem to be like you."

"Yeah, I understand. I'm not as butchy as people think I am. Believe it or not, I do have a few high-heeled pumps in my closet." They both laughed. However, Jo was still wondering in the back of her mind if Molly really did find out that she was a bridesmaid from someone else. "But seriously, did Natalie, Cindy, Sue Ann, or the Human Twittah herself, Tootie, tell you that I was gonna make ya one of my bridesmaids?"

Molly giggled a bit. "No, none of them did, surprisingly. I figured that you would make me a bridesmaid, since we seem to get along well, and that you wouldn't arrange a lunch at a high-end cafe unless you had something important to tell me. Usually, we meet at a diner or at a bar."

"Good assumption." Jo shrugged.

"So, I guess in addition to Sister Meg; Natalie, Cindy, Sue Ann, and Tootie will be your bridesmaids?"

"Just about half-right, Natalie and Cindy are my bridesmaids, while Sue Ann and Tootie are Blair's, and I have yet to decide one more person."

"Oh really? So who are you considering?"

"You wouldn't know. They're likely either the co-workers at the precinct, or old friends from my old neighborhood."

Judging from Jo's body language, Molly knew that Jo wasn't telling the whole truth, but she didn't bring that up. Instead she asked about Blair's bridesmaids. "Okay, so who else are Blair's bridesmaids? I assume that there will be five bridesmaids, since me, Natalie, Cindy, and Sister Meg makes up four, plus the yet–to–be–decided bridesmaid?

Jo took a sip of her drink and quickly informed Molly, "Well, Blair also has Nancy, Bailey, and Kimberly as her bridesmaids."

Hearing that, Molly made a deductive conclusion on who was Blair's maid of honor. "And my informative and deductive guess is that Tootie's her maid of honor. Correct?"

"More than likely, yes, knowing Blair. Then it wouldn't be any surprise to you that Natalie's my maid of honor."

"No, I'm not surprised there. You and Natalie are like best buds. I would be surprised if you picked someone else besides Natalie or Cindy."

"Hey, Did ya evah think of becomin' a detective? You'd make a killin'!" Jo joked.

Molly laughed. "No, I couldn't see myself working for 'The Man.'"

After that, Jo and Molly talked about a few other things, some of it not related to the wedding, while they wait for Sister Meg. In around 12:28 PM, Sister Meg arrived.

She wasn't hard to find since she was still wearing her habit. She is now in her 50s, and gained a few pounds than when Jo first met her. Plus, her face now shows wrinkles. No one in the café could see it, but she also had a good amount of gray in her hair, though her hair is still mostly blonde, and she's wearing some wireframe glasses.

"Hi Jo, it's good to see you again." Sister Meg greeted with a hug. Then she turned her attention to Molly

"And you're Molly, right? It's been a while since I last saw you."

"Yes I am, Sister Meg." She replied with a handshake.

"Well, how have things been going Jo? My sister told me that she moved the wedding up next month, so I know you must be in a rush to get things ready for the wedding."

"Yes, I am, Sis. I just came from a wedding shop looking for an outfit to wear. I haven't even got all my bridesmaids together. Blair got five bridesmaids, so I have to get five bridesmaids of my own."

"And who have you gotten so far, Jo?"

"Well, there's Molly here, plus Natalie and Cindy."

"Oh okay. How are those two doing?"

"Cindy's still running that model agency with her partner, Sue Ann. Oh, by the way, they're getting married later on this year. At least they stick to their wedding date…" Jo disgruntledly grumbled. Sister Meg patted her on her right shoulder.

"Don't get too upset about it, Jo. Consider yourself lucky that you can get married. Anyhow, so how's Natalie doing?"

"Natalie's fine. She's been working for MSNBC for a while as a researcher for 'Countdown with Keith Olbermann.'"

Sister Meg was quite impressed. "Wow, she must be happy to have a job like that."

Molly intervened. "Not really. He's very demanding. I know Keith Olbermann personally, and he can be a total dick."

"Molly, watch your language! Do you realize who you are talking to?" Jo spat.

"Jo, don't worry about me. I'm a nun, but that doesn't mean I need to shield myself. If Jesus can expose himself to the lepers, then I can expose myself to bad languages." Molly had to fight the urge not to sigh or roll her eyes on Sister Meg's comment. Realizing that they got sidetracked, Sister Meg returned back to the main subject. "Well, you've told me three so far, what about the other two."

Jo looked at her and slyly answered, "Well, I was hopin' to have one of those two slots filled before we get outta here."

"What do you mean 'before we...'" Then she realized who Jo wanted the fourth bridesmaid to be. "Are you asking me to be your bridesmaid?"

"Yeah, Sis." Jo confirmed. She was also thinking in the back of her mind, _"Well, I'm glad that Blair didn't ruin it by telling her already."_

With a wide smile on her face, Sister Meg happily agreed to Jo's offer. "I would be glad to be your bridesmaid! Thank you so much, Jo." She got up from her seat and happily hugged Jo. Even the cynical Molly smiled.

"No, thank you for making a difference my life Sister Meg. I don't know what type of person I would be, had I not met you."

"I'm surprised that you would pick me over some of your other friends, like Pippa, or Carla, or Jessie." Then she had to stop herself, as Jo and Molly gave her shocked looks. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to bring her up."

"It's okay, Sis. I wish she was around to see this day." Jo stated as she started to tear up. "It's been over ten years since she's been gone. To this day, I regret having that argument and hanging up the phone on her. I didn't know it would be the last time we would speak. Every time I think about it, I feel like I'm a horrible person."

Sister Meg started to choke up. "Jo, don't say that, you were angry at the time. How could you know that it would be the last time you two would speak? Guilt is one of the ways Satan gets us. As long as you love and trust the Lord, you will overcome this."

Molly muttered "Whatever…" Jo noticed and gave a stiff glare at Molly. She quickly looked away and felt ashamed.

Jo returned her attention to Sister Meg and responded, "Of course I do, Sis. I will always love the Lord, no matter what, and I'm sure he'll help me through this."

There was a question Molly had to ask. She figured it would be the right time, since Sister Meg brought up the Lord.

"But Sister Meg, you're a Catholic, they don't approve gay marriages. Aren't you going to get kicked out of the church because you take part of a gay marriage?"

"I seriously doubt it, Molly. The group I work for are pretty liberal. Also, there's nothing in the church's guidelines that says that you can't be a bridesmaid or groom of a same-sex marriage. I knew a priest who was the best man for a friend of his that was marrying another man a few years back. There was some discussion about it, but no disciplinary actions ever took place."

"Well that's very good to know," Jo said in relief.

"So have you found the last bridesmaid?" Sister Meg asked.

"I haven't decided yet. But you'll find out by the time of the rehearsal."

Sister Meg felt a bit suspicious about Jo's answer, but she didn't bring it up. Instead, she asked, "When will the rehearsal be?"

"This Saturday at 2 PM. However, we need to meet at 10 AM so that you guys."

"Ahem." Molly injected.

"Sorry Molly. I mean, you WOMEN," Jo emphasized the woman part, for Molly's approval, "can get your dresses. We won't need our dresses for the rehearsal, though Blair wanted to do that at first, but I was able to talk her out of it, by pointing out that it would give them more wear and tear. However, I wanna get it outta the way as soon as possible. It will be at Kleinfeld. Blair recommended me there."

"Kleinfeld? That's top-of-the-line stuff there." Molly said.

"Well, that's my sister for you. She only wants top-of-the-line stuff." Sister Meg noted. "I still remember the time I got her some ice cream when she was a kid, but she refused to eat it because it wasn't Hagen Daz!" Everybody laughed.

"Sister Meg is right. The last thing Blair wants is for us to look like bums." Jo informed.

"But what about the other bridesmaid, will she be at Kleinfeld?"

"She should be, Molly, but I can't guarantee that."

Molly didn't say a thing. Once again, she knew Jo was lying based on her body language. She was wondering why Jo was so secretive of the last bridesmaid. Then she remembered what Natalie told her and it became clear who the last bridesmaid would be. Molly now realized why Jo is being so coy about it. It wasn't looking good for Molly, as she was thinking in the back of her mind, _"Something tells me that there's going to be nothing but trouble in the rehearsals..."_

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Saturday has come and Jo's bridesmaids were at Kleinfeld, getting fitted for their dresses. Cindy was the first to be fitted.

"You would think as being a former model, I would get used to wearing dresses. I still haven't."

"Not really. Just like me you weren't born with dress-wearin' DNA." Jo joked.

"Oh, is that the same DNA that makes girls like us wear jeans, play sports, and like other girls?" Cindy wisecracked back.

"It sure is!" Jo grinned. There were laughs coming from the group.

"So this is the style you like? I know you're into black, but I didn't think it was that much!" Natalie asked, as she examined the dress she was holding on her left arm.

"Well, the guy told me it goes well with Blair's bridesmaid dresses. Plus, I got these for a discount, so I'm goin' wit' 'em!"

"You got a boat load of money, and yet you still look for bargains?" Cindy questioned.

"Now you see why Sue Ann insists on handling all the money? Look, that's Blair's money. This is my own money I'm usin'!"

"You still got that independent streak going in you?" Cindy jostled a bit.

Jo scoffed a bit, and then she told Cindy, "You have to, because Blair will try to take over you."

"Yeah, like colonial England!" Natalie quipped.

"Dad once said that if Blair ever becomes a world leader, she'd make Margaret Thatcher look like Mother Teresa!" Sister Meg joked, as she was checking out her dress. Everyone laughed, knowing that it could possibly be true.

Even with their joking and fooling around, it only took no more than an hour to fit all the women in the group.

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It was 3:00 PM at the church, and things got off on a rocky start. Blair was late, as usual, which only made Jo more irate. Then when she got there, she got upset about over the carpet, and how it was unsafe for her shoes.

It didn't get easier as ten of Nancy's twelve kids were there. The other two were in out-of-state colleges. Ranging from three to fifteen, they were anything but little angles, as they were consistently crying, running around, and making a racket. One of her sons nearly knocked Blair over, when he was playing tag with his other siblings. And another son of hers made a certain loud noise that came from his behind... Needless to say, Blair was not very happy about them.

"Nancy, don't you have a maid or a babysitter to watch these kids?"

"Yeah, but Mulu had to go back to Ethiopia today, because her mother is sick, and Roger is at a meeting with a lobbyist back home."

Her husband, Roger Butler, is a U.S. Congressman, representing the 5th district of New Jersey. They live in Alpine, New Jersey, one of the richest cities in the United States.

"Well you better do something with these kids!" Then as Blair was walking down the aisle, she tripped over a cable. It was from a camera. The rehearsal was being recorded, but not for Blair or Jo. It was for Nancy. She, Roger, and her family were part of a reality-TV show called "Twelve Is More Than Enough!"

"And why can't these idiots watch where they lay their cables! I could have fallen over and break my nails, or ruin my mascara, if I fell on my face!" Of all the other things that could happen, she was more concerned about her makeup and her nails.

"I'm sorry, Blair, but when they heard about me being your bridesmaid, they wanted to come." Nancy sincerely apologized.

Blair, not hiding her anger, told her, "Well then they should be shooting at me. It's my wedding!"

"You mean OUR wedding!" Jo butted in. She wanted to make it clear that's it's not all hers, even though she had almost totally control it.

"You know what I mean, Jo." Blair rebutted, no willing to go further with Jo. However, Jo didn't want to end the conversation there.

"No, I don't know what you mean, Blair. In fact, it's been nothing but you, ever since you hijacked this wedding. I haven't really got my say in this stupid wedding!" Jo barked back, matching Blair's anger.

Feeling insulted, Blair roared back. "How dare you call this wedding 'stupid'? We've wanted this for years, even decades, and you have the audacity to call it 'stupid?!'"

"It is very stupid! And just about everything about it is stupid! How ya' want the flower girls to throw the pedals, how ya' want a 25-piece orchestra instead of an organ to play 'Here Comes the Bride,' and other things. I mean everything about it is stupid! And besides, it was always you who wanted it more than me, ever since we talked about it in Nancy's wedding!"

There was some truth in her statement, as it was discussed during Nancy's wedding back in 1986…

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Flashback to November 20, 1986

The wedding was held at Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer. Nancy and Roger were at the altar. Blair was one of the bridesmaids, and the maid of honor, taking Molly's place, since she was not available, along with Sue Ann and Cindy. It was being recorded on video, thanks to Natalie. The décor was more like 19th century French, since Blair did not really like the 80s modern look. It was more like Blair's wedding than Nancy's, since Blair took charge of being the wedding planner and made the wedding more like how she wanted it. Jo was sitting with Natalie, Andy, and Tootie joined in after singing for the soon-to-be married couple.

"I'm telling you, Tootie, it may be expensive, but it's worth it, when they look back twenty years from now."

"I bet it will be. I can't wait to see my performance, it was totally awesome!" Tootie giddied.

"I bet it will be," Andy replied, with a flirtatious look.

Tootie lightly hit him on his stomach. "Oh stop it!"

"But why? It was totally awesome." Andy said in defense.

"It sure was. However, I'm kind of disappointed that we aren't really part of the wedding. We should have been part of the bridesmaids." Natalie moped for a bit. Jo, who was silent throughout the whole time, just shrugged.

"Hey, at least you two got involved. I'm just happy that I was invited, since I don't know those two very well."

"Yeah, but still, we knew Nancy for over eight years now!" Natalie complained. Then she remembered something and brought it up to Jo. "Hey Jo, I need to tell you something."

"Yeah, wut is it?" She replied in her Bronx accent.

"I saw Blair crying in the dressing room. I mean she was really crying."

Jo twitched when she heard that. "Really? She not really much of a crier unless she's in great pain or some very tragic happen. I wish I could hold my tears like she can."

"Yeah, that's what made it unusual. I was going to ask her, but then I got interrupted by Roger, who wanted me to do an interview with him."

"I see. Well, I'll talk to her later about it."

Natalie said with concern, "Please do so."

"I will, Natalie. Let's get back to the weddin', I think they're 'bout to say their vows." Jo advised them, and they turned their focus back to the wedding.

The couple finally said their 'I do's' and left the church, going to their reception at the Tarrytown House Estate and Conference Center. It was the only place in the area Blair thought it was suitable for a reception.

Everything seemed to go well with the reception. However, Jo saw sadness in Blair's face during the times she was not pretending to be happy. When everybody hit the dancefloor, Blair went straight to a room. Jo was about to follow her, when she was stopped by Sue Ann.

"Where's Blair?" Sue Ann asked.

"I just saw her went into that room. Why? You need sumthin'?"

"No, I was wondering what was wrong with Blair. I saw her crying earlier today." Sue Ann informed.

"You too? Let's go togetha' and see what's up."

Sue Ann nodded and they went to the room. As soon as Jo opened the door, she saw Blair crying.

Concerned for her partner, she asked, "What's wrong, Blair?"

Blair looked at her and replied, "Nothing. Just nothing." Then she quickly looked away and dried her eyes off.

"You're not really the crying type. You only cry when something really, really bad or emotional happens, so sumthin' must be goin' on." Jo stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

Blair knew that Jo can be quite persistent, so it would be best for her to tell Jo the truth. "Well, just seeing Nancy and Roger getting married, it got me very emotional."

"Yeah. It's a great day for those two, they're so lucky." Sue Ann added in.

"Yeah, luck that I'll probably never get to feel." Blair moped.

"Huh, I don't get ya, princess?"

However, Sue Ann did.

"Are you bothered that you and Jo can never get married?"

As soon as Sue Ann asked that question, Blair, with tears still flowing from her eyes, looked at her, and cried even more. Jo, looked up to the ceiling, and muttered to herself, _"Holy Mary, give me strength."_

"Blair, it's okay, it doesn't make you two's relationship any less important."

"Yes, but don't you want to marry Cindy?" Blair asked with some cracks in her voice.

Sue Ann wished Blair never asked her that question. It bothered her that she could never marry Cindy. "Of course, I do. I've brought it up to her once, but she got really upset, saying that it will never happen, so why even bring it up."

"Ah come on princess, it no big deal. So what if we don't get married? It's not like we really need the tax break."

In a quick second, Blair went from sad to livid. Jo's response triggered a bomb inside of her that went off immediately. "So what? So what!? This is more important than just tax breaks!"

Sue Ann tried to hush Blair down. "Shh! Hey, don't forget that people could hear us."

"That's my point, Sue Ann. I don't want to have to hide our relationship. I want to be able to proudly say that we are a couple. I want to be forever linked together." Blair barked back, letting her frustrations out.

"But really, princes, we don't need some stupid wedding to say that we are a couple."

"It's more than just a 'stupid wedding', grease monkey! But you're too stupid to realize that!"

Blair then left the room angry.

"I don't get her." Jo lamented to Sue Ann.

"I do. Blair thinks getting married is important to her, more than just showing off. To her, it's a symbol of equality, that your relationship can be treated of equal status with that of a straight relationship."

Jo still didn't see the point, and replied, "But really, who cares what people think?"

With her hands on her hips, Sue Ann informed her, "You do just as much as Blair."

Jo was surprised and replied back with a small sneer. "What?"

"You get upset when people call you a butch or a bulldyke. You want to be treated just like everyone else. You want just as much rights as everyone else. That's why she wants to be legally married, so that she can say with pride that she loves you and she's not ashamed of it."

"I see…"

A second later, Natalie came into the room.

"Hey guys, you should come on the dance floor. Roger is trying to do the Cabbage Patch with Tootie!"

"Oh my God, are you serious?" Sue Ann asked while trying to hold her laughter.

Natalie nodded along with her response. "Yep!"

Both Jo and Sue Ann shook their heads in disbelief.

Then Natalie asked Blair. "Hey Blair, check it out as well!"

Blair didn't even bother to look at her. Instead, she continued to cry. Natalie was puzzled.

"What's wrong with her?" She asked Jo.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it. I guess it's best to leave Blair alone for now."

Sue Ann nodded and the three headed out the room, leaving Blair to cry alone.

And the subject was dropped after that. It has been discussed between Blair and Jo on a few occasions, but they never went in-depth because of the expected reactions between the two. That changed when the mayor of San Francisco issued wedding licenses in 2004. It gave Blair the idea to start campaigning for same-sex marriage in New York. Jo helped along, even though she was nowhere near as vocal about it as Blair was. After that, it became part of the usual discussions those two have.

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Now it turned into an all-out war between Jo and Blair. They had many nasty disputes before, but a lot more is at-stake on this one; the wedding, the relationship, and everything else.

Blair was not going to let Jo have the last word, as usual, so she replied back, but she did it without shouting. Instead, she used a more surly tone. "Well, since you had the nerves to bring up how stupid this wedding is, may I remind you that you are contributing to the stupidity."

Jo was perplexed at Blair's accusation, and asked her, "Whaddiya mean?"

"Well, for one, what in the world were you thinking of having black dresses for your bridesmaid?"

"What's wrong with black? Black is beautiful isn't it."

"Not with purple! We're wearing purple and you choose black? You were supposed to use another color, like yellow, or pink, or even green, but not black! Also, another 'stupid' thing of yours is, it's been over twenty minutes, and your bridesmaid hasn't come yet. Do you even have a fifth bridesmaid, Jo?"

Already on the edge, Jo tersely answered, "Yeah Blair, I do. She will be here any minute, so hold your horses!" She was thinking, _"You of all people should not be talking about people being late."_

The priest had to bring things back in order. "I think we need to focus on the rehearsal, please." They both nodded and continue on, yet the amounting tension between those two was still in the room. "Now, Natalie and Dorothy, make sure that you have the ring in your hand when I say…"

During that time, the show's narrator/host started asking Nancy a few questions. "So, Nancy, how does it feel to take part of a same-sex marriage?"

Nancy blushed a bit, and reminded the host, "Well, the marriage hasn't take place yet, but I am honored to be a part of such a special event."

"But does your husband share the same feeling you do about the wedding, considering that your husband repeatedly said that same-sex marriage is wrong?"

The host's question made Nancy squirmed a bit, for her GOP Republican-party husband has been rather vocal against gay marriage.

"Well… Uh… Umm…"

Then Blair got on Nancy. "What are you doing, Nancy?"

"I was just answering some questions the host was asking me."

Blair was infuriated. "Don't you have any common sense? We are having a rehearsal."

The host intervened, trying to apologize.

"I'm very sorry, Ms. Warner. I just wanted to ask her a few questions."

"But why are you asking HER a few questions when it's my wedding. Why aren't you asking ME questions? This is my wedding, can't you buffoons see that?"

Jo was starting to get worried about Blair, and she knew that Blair was very agitated at her, so she told the priest to get Blair's attention.

"Hey, you need to tell her to get back to rehearsal, she's about to explode like an atom bomb!"

The priest nodded and nervously reminded Blair to get back on the rehearsal.

"Excuse me, Ms. Warner, but we need to continue with the wedding. We are already late and I would like to finish the rehearsal as much as you do."

Blair took a deep breath, and replied, "Okay. Sorry about that." She then went back to her position, which was in front of Jo, and the priest continued with the rehearsal.

"Now where was I? Ah, yes. Natalie and Dorothy, when you have the ring, make sure you two…"

Just as the priest was talking, a loud Bronx-accent echoed through the cathedral.

"I hope I ain't too late! Sorry, but my flight from Houston was delayed."

Jo and Blair quickly turned around and saw the woman who made her entrance. Everybody was in shock to see her, even though most of Jo's bridesmaid figured that she would be the fifth bridesmaid. But none was more shocked, and angry, than Blair.

"Hey Kel, I'm so glad that you made it."

It was indeed Kelly, the one who nearly knocked Blair's lights out at Jo's birthday/engagement party, after Blair insulted her. Jo quickly went down the aisle and hugged her lifelong friend.

"You kno' I won't missed it for da world, even though I had ta' make sum last minute arrangements with my job and to find a last-minute flight. I shoulda takin' Southwest!"

Jo smiled and shrugged it off. "Ah don't worry 'bout it. As long as you got here, that's all that mattas!"

Blair was beyond furious. She walked up to Jo and showed her displeasure.

"Of all the people, it had to be her?"

Jo knew what was coming, and she was prepared. "Why not? She's been my friend since back in Bronx, so back off!"

However, Jo, or anybody else in the cathedral, was not prepared for what Blair was going to do next.

"That's it. I'm calling off the wedding!"

Everybody was in total shock.

"What?! You just can't call it off like that, especially since it was YOU," Jo emphasized with her finger-pointing, "who wanted the wedding to be moved up."

"Well I can, and I say it's cancelled!" Blair quickly hustled out the main area and went to one of the small rooms. Jo furiously banged on the door, pleading her to come out, but Blair refused to come out.

Now everybody was in shock, and the worst part about it was that it was all recorded, thus there was a 99% guarantee that it would be shown on-air worldwide and on the Internet...

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End file.
